Hidden behind velvet curtains above a stairway in a house in London's Piccadilly is an enormous and beautiful hand-coloured map - the first geological map of anywhere in the world. Its maker was a farmer's son named William Smith. Born in 1769 his life was beset by troubles. This title tells his story.

Chronicles the destruction of Indonesian island of Krakatoa in 1883. This book describes how one island and its inhabitants were blasted out of existence and how colonial society was turned upside-down in a cataclysm.

A burgeoning city is built on the dreams of the American gold rush. In 1906 the dreams of this city, came crashing down beneath the rippling wave of a horrifying earthquake. This story delves beneath the surface of the earth, and explains why the world moves as it does. It portrays the lives of the people who suffered and survived the devastation.

Bill Bryson describes himself as a reluctant traveller, but even when he stays safely in his own study at home, he can't contain his curiosity about the world around him. This book is his quest to understand everything that has happened from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization.

The paperback of the Sunday Times bestseller that reveals how the earth became the shape it is today. This book will change the way you see the world -- permanently.

An account of a revolution in our understanding of life's history, this book tells how three obscure British scientists completely changed our view of evolution by discovering a unique group of 530 million year-old creatures in the Burgess Shale fossil deposit in the Rockies.

Alan Cutler tells the extraordinary story of the 17th century Danish geologist Steno, who was the first man to claim that the earth must be older than the Bible claimed, forever changing Western civilisation's ideas of time and undermining biblical authority, yet ended his life a Catholic bishop.

Offers readers coverage of mineralogy and crystallography. This book includes a CD-ROM to let readers see the minerals and crystals, while also viewing chemical composition, symmetry, and morphological crystallography.

Explains what rocks or minerals are how they are classified and how to start a collection. This book features 600 colour photographs of more than 500 specimens. It includes a visual key that illustrates the differences between igneous metamorphic and sedimentary rocks and guides readers to the correct rock entry.

When HMS Beagle sailed out of Devonport on 27 December 1831, Charles Darwin was twenty-two and setting off on the voyage of a lifetime. This title shows a naturalist making patient observations concerning geology, natural history, people, places and events.

The true story of a Scottish farmer, James Hutton, who discovered and proved the Earth was millions of years old and paved the way for Darwin's theory of evolution.

Features graphics and simple field-guide procedures to guide hikers through the great outdoors. This book features 200 two-color illustrations, graphs and tables, and covers key rudiments of geology. It covers such topics as Air currents; Composition; Desertification; Greenhouse effect; Ice changes; Seismic activity; Tides; Waterflow; and more.

An ancient book is opened by the eccentric Professor Lidenbrock and his life - and the life of his nephew Axel - is changed for ever. An old piece of paper has tumbled from the book, a priceless parchment that will lead them on a terrifying journey to find what lies at the centre of the Earth.

Sixty-five million years ago, a comet or asteroid larger than Mount Everest slammed into Earth, causing terrible environmental disasters. This story is now widely accepted as the solution to a scientific murder mystery what caused the extinction of the dinosaurs? This work reveals the scientific detective work that went into solving this mystery.

Describes the geological forces that shaped the physical evolution of the earth and the internal processes at work today.

This pocket guide supplies clear explanations of the geological forces that continue to reshape our planet. It shows readers how to identify minerals, rocks and fossils, read geological maps and cross-sections, use mineral and landforms keys, and create their own rock collections.

A guide to the Earth from the very earliest signs of life on the rims of volcanoes, to the first appearance of man. The book ranges across many scientific disciplines, analyzing their arguments and findings, and showing readers whose the discoveries have been and whose the arguments.

Features more than 800 full-colour photographs of more than 130 varieties of cut and uncut stones organic gemstones and precious metals. This guide to identification enables you to recognize each gemstone instantly. It features a photo-encyclopedic approach.

Unless we are brilliant at science in our teenage years, many of us put off 'childish things' - science museums, palaeontology - in favour of museums, art galleries and concert halls. The author argues that a cultured person should know about the classic ideas of physics and biology as well as the classic works of Beethoven and Picasso.